Machado vs. Ventura

By now, most of you already know about the altercation that took place last night between Kansas City pitcher Yordana Ventura and Baltimore's Manny Machado. If not, I'll give you a quick recap. After taking two close pitches in the previous at bat, Machado was drilled by a 98 mph fastball on the next at bat. With no doubt that it was intentional, Machado tossed his bat and approached the mound and threw a hay-maker of his own at Ventura's head. The benches emptied and everyone was Kung Fu Fighting. You know the drill......

So, on the day after, there's been a lot of talk about what transpired. First off, there's the question whether or not Manny should charged the mound. I absolutely think he did the right thing. Ventura has a history of throwing at batters, so there's no doubt that he intended to drill Machado. So, if Manny just casually shakes it off and jogs down to 1st base, he looks like Ventura's bitch. He was backed into a corner and had to, in effect, defend his honor. If you recall, Manny was ridiculed last year (or was it two years ago?) when he got into a beef with Oakland's Josh Donaldson over a hard tag. At that time, Manny came out of it looking like a crybaby. So, last night, if he takes "the high road", his respect factor takes another serious blow.

As you would expect, the rest of the team rallied around Machado. Even Buck Showalter was in the middle of the melee. This team certainly has each other's back. And never afraid to speak his mind, Adam Jones criticized Ventura and then offered to pay Machado's fine. Now, that's a great teammate!

With the inevitable suspension looming for Machado, the big question is what kind of impact will it have? Presonally, I don't think Machado should be suspended. They say he threw the first punch. But did he really? Isn't a 98 mph fastball the equivalent of a right uppercut? So, don't give me this bullshit that Machado started it.

Ventura has a history of throwing at batters. He's "brave" enough to do this because he pitches in the American League where pitchers don't have to bat. He would probably think twice about plunking a batter if he knew he would have to enter the batter's box against the opposing pitcher. But since this is a non-factor, it's up to the league to step in and take action.

There's little doubt that both, Ventura and Machado, will receive a suspension within the next few days. And Machado's will likely be more severe. Ventura's suspension will be watered down by the fact that he's a pitcher. So, if he gets a 10-game suspension, he will only miss two starts. On the other hand, if Machado receives a 5-game suspension, he sits out five games. The league needs to take this into account in these situations. But they won't.....

Another question is whether there will be any retaliation from the Orioles. Who knows? But I have a feeling that KC centerfieler Lorenzo Cain won't be digging in at the batter's box against the O's any time soon....

kw